With normalcy limping back to the troubled town, the district administration on Tuesday relaxed curfew for nine hours. Educational institutions and other establishments opened for the day even though attendance was markedly thin as fear continued to grip the general public following communal tension in the town in the wake of derogatory remarks about Hindu gods posted on social media.

Initially, the administration relaxed the prohibitory orders from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Later, the district administration extended the relaxation by two more hours up to 4 p.m., said district Collector Gyan Ranjan Das.

“Normalcy is gradually returning to the town. We are taking every possible step to restore normalcy,” said Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Central) A.B. Ota.